MOSCOW

Russia on Tuesday said it is concerned over "the sharp escalation of tension and the outbreak of hostilities" in the Karabakh region, and urged Azerbaijan and Armenia to follow trilateral agreements for peaceful settlement of the conflict. 

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has announced the start of counter-terror measures in Karabakh for disarmament and withdrawal of the Armenian military from its territories.

The ex-Soviet republics have been locked in a conflict since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Baku during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a key task is to ensure the safety of civilians in the area. "Of course, we are talking about the Armenian population. To do this, all necessary measures must be taken," he said.

Moscow is in contact with both Baku and Yerevan through different channels, and the Russian military is working to "turn the settlement process into a political and diplomatic channel," Peskov added.

"The only substantive basis for this is the trilateral documents, which were signed between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"Therefore, we urge everyone to follow the provisions of these documents, taking into account the new realities, we mean the fact that the Armenian side recognized the territory of Azerbaijan in the borders of the year 1991," he said.

According to Peskov, Russia sees an opportunity for a peaceful settlement, and "hard work is going on" to achieve this goal.

"The main thing is to ensure the safety of people in Karabakh, to prevent human casualties. We regret to read the news that such victims have already taken place. And the main thing is to convince both Yerevan and Baku to abandon the methods of force and sit down at the negotiating table," he stressed.

The spokesman did not exclude a possibility of contacts between leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying President Vladimir Putin received a letter from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with a detailed presentation of Yerevan's position.

"There have been no other contacts (between Putin and Pashinyan) since then ... Other contacts are being coordinated, we will inform you," the spokesman said. 

Russian peace-keeping mission

Commenting on remarks by Armenian ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukayn who said "the turn of the US has come to decide what measures can be used to achieve peace," Peskov said: "We are not talking about 'turns,' there must be concrete efforts based on a real, tangible legal framework that makes it possible to reach a peaceful settlement."

Peskov also echoed Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova who said the Russian side was not informed about Azerbaijan's decision for military action.

The Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh is in direct contact with the parties, he said.

"All contacts are mainly through the military. So far, we do not have any information that something has happened that threatens the lives of our peacekeepers. Of course, this is an important priority for us," he said.

Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh are fulfilling their function, but the situation remains difficult, he noted.

"We see that, unfortunately, the current surge in tension and the resumption of hostilities is a serious challenge and a serious threat primarily to the civilian population," he said.